Action Alert - AHS Obsessive Fetish Ball cancelled

Please take a moment to support the Alternative Hedonistic Society, of Kansas City, MO (www.ahs-kc.org). Their AHS Obsessive Fetish Ball, which did not include nudity or sexual activities, was cancelled at the last moment by the Holiday Inn Olathe. A reporter from FOX News was tipped off and contacted the Holiday Inn. AHS was completely open about the nature of the event with both the police and the Holiday Inn prior to signing a contract, but the management responded to the reporter's inquiry by canceling the event. AHS is still trying to resolve this situation with the Holiday Inn Olathe and needs your help.

Please read NCSF's letter to the Holiday Inn Olathe, Kansas, then send the postcard attached below. Thank you for your help in fighting for our rights!

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Steve Olson, President
Holiday Inn Olathe

Dear Mr. Olson,

We would like to express our serious concerns regarding your cancellation of the AHS Obsessive Fetish Ball one day before the event was to take place on August 13, 2004.

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is a national organization committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the rights of consenting adults in the SM- leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory communities, who often face discrimination because of their sexual expression. NCSF directly represents tens of thousands of consenting adults across the US, and supports the millions of adults who do alternative sexual expression.

In the view of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) your cancellation is based on a complete misunderstanding of the nature of this charitable, social event in which no nudity or sexual activities were scheduled to take place. The event organizers had ongoing discussions with the Olathe Police to ensure their complete compliance with city ordinances, and the organizers welcomed the police in walking through the event at any time.

In fact, it appears the sole reason your management canceled this contract was because a reporter from the socially conservative FOX News contacted you regarding the event. Perhaps you are not aware that religious political extremist groups regularly attack events held by the alternative sexuality communities. These groups often alert the media to pressure venues into refusing to hold adult events. This tactic is both discriminatory and reprehensible. NCSF expects businesses to abide by the terms of their lawful contracts and refuse to be manipulated in this manner.

Over 250 major events are produced by the SM-leather-fetish, swing and polyamory communities every year in hotels and public venues. In many cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue are generated for the host venue and local community. Your proactive response to resolving this issue of discrimination will go far in ensuring that our constituents continue to do business with Holiday Inn.

Sincerely,
Susan Wright
SpokespersonNCSF

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Please write a letter to the Holiday Inn Olathe protesting their unfair cancellation of the AHS Obsessive Fetish Ball. E-mail is fine, but fax or snail mail is even better. A postcard you can cut and paste follows. For those who don't live or travel to KC, you can write to the InterContinental Hotels Group, the franchiser of all Holiday Inns and say you won't stay in ANY Holiday Inn until this is resolved.

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Dear Holiday Inn Olathe,

I am writing to protest your cancellation of the AHS Obsessive Fetish Ball in August, 2004. The organizers of the ball made sure they would comply with state and local laws, yet without justifiable reason, you prevented this event from taking place.

The fact that you breeched your contract with AHS one day prior to the event caused many problems for the organizers and the attendees, some of whom flew in from other states to participate in this charitable event. You should reimburse not only the producers for the lost revenue, but also the individuals who were unfairly denied access to this event at the last moment.

I will certainly not stay at your hotel in the future, nor will I recommend your hotel to visitors or business associates.

About Incident Reporting & Response

The NCSF Incident Reporting & Response (IRR) program provides assistance to individuals and groups within the alternative sexual expression communities who become victimized because of SM, leather, fetish, or swing practices.

Program Goals: NCSF's Incident Reporting & Response was created to provide assistance to individuals and groups within the BDSM, swinging and poly communities who are experiencing discrimination or needs assistance because of their interests and activities.